The Raw Studio Mixes – Extended Album Versions – Live
New Mix in 5.1 & Stereo 24-96Experience, in immersive Surround Sound, the moment John and The Plastic Ono Band record each song live, from a sonic soundstage at the center of Ascot Sound Studios at John & Yoko’s home in Tittenhurst

Hi Guy …I think Paul is right about the print ..yours will be the blue version I think ..
So only three hundred of those.. rare i do believe.
Agree with the white gloves thing .. maybe at some point invest in the standard book for more casual flicking through.
Glad you like it.

Well done Guy .. your going to love the book and when the day comes when your Grandchildren inherit it there going to love you too…
I have spent the weekend trying to see if I could grab one of these but it’s beyond reach .
If I had know I would have had a chance to get one I might have planned things a bit differently, but at only 300 copy’s I never thought i had a chance. Still I have my collectors edition and that’s more then most so nothing to get upset about.lut us know how you get one and also I think the print you receive is different to the unsigned edition..would be god to know.
Well done and enjoy

Hi Dean, It is still available online, well you can add it to the basket at Foyles, just type Imagine John Yoko in the search engine at Foyles.co.uk and it should come up with a list of related books, all three of the Thames & Hudson books are available, the standard, the collectors and signed. I have had a shipping email, so it is on it’s way. I have ordered books through the company before, they have a flagship store in London and their service is extremely good. It was only by chance that I used the search engine on their site as it wasn’t in their Signed Section, there isn’t any synopsis for the Signed one but the ISBN code tally’s up, for the collectors version (£185) it shows all the details. I will let you know when it turns up, with details.

Hi Dean, the book arrived yesterday from Foyles and boy is it heavy. I caught a glimpse of the standard book in Waterstones but this is way bigger. As far as I can see the print should be the same as the Collectors edition, numbered to the book edition, with an official stamp. The fold outs are fantastic in fact the whole book is stunning.
I can see about the ink problem that has come up with a few pages sticking together, but a flick through will solve this.
I bought Hurricane (Grace Jones) on vinyl some years ago through The Vinyl Factory and that came with a pair of cotton gloves as the sleeve was a white matt finish, I think I will have to use them on this book.
To anyone thinking of buying the signed version, Foyles.co.uk as of this morning still have two in stock. If you sign up or belong to Quidco and choose Foyles through them they have 7% cash back which is £26.25.

Paul, thanks for the info. Is that the only difference, I haven’t seen the collectors edition yet. Gotta say as everyone else does, your site is one of the best things to appear online in a long time. : )

My order at Foyles.co.uk has been shipped for the signed edition ISBN:9780500022658 Thames & Hudson @£375 with free UK delivery. They still have it as available. If you belong to Foyles membership scheme (Foyalty) which is free to join you get points back on every order, this book got £11 back as points to go towards future orders. After ordering through Amazon and The Book Depository with no results I am glad that someone has it. Don’t look under the signed section for the book, just type the name and it gives you the three choices to order with their respective ISBN number.

Just got home and my collectors edition was waiting for me .. I hope Paul does a unboxing of this because it needs to be seen . I was a little unsure and had thoughts if maybe sending it back if even a little bit unhappy but no its a keeper for sure . Comes in its own shipping box with a matching number to the print inside so a good reason to keep the box and not just to store the book in which you would want to do because that cloth binding could get awfully dirty over the years. I’m sure this will now sell quite quickly once fans see this so don’t leave it to long if you end up wanting one… probably the best Beatles related collectible in years…

Well if your not happy Nick just send it all back and get a refund … problem sorted. For myself I have been buying vinyl for years .. it never went away as far as I’m concerned so I’m well used to a bit of surface noise here and there, dont like clicks and pops to much though.. had a recent Breeders lp with a light surface scratch on most of side one and the constant click drove me made .. straight back to Hmv and a replacement was ordered in ..second copy perfect.

Mr Angry note here! I finally received my John Lennon Imagine super deluxe edition yesterday. What a disappointment. Yes all the extra tracks and mixes are amusing and a handful are an interesting listen but how much attention did they pay to the vinyl pressing? Mine started clicking right at the beginning of the first track and continued periodically throughout. When will these people realise that those of us who are buying these remastered albums on vinyl are actually interested in having a clean pressing that sounds BETTER than the one they bought 30 or 40 years or more ago? In those days we were probably playing them on a Decca mono record player and didn’t notice. Now the lucky ones amongst have expensive and very revealing hifi systems and we are interested in how the music on the original album sounds, and less in the 50+ ‘bonus’ tracks that were never meant for release and that we will probably listen to once or twice!!! I would have paid the full price of this set for a direct from the master high quality pressing on virgin vinyl along the lines of the MoFi ultra disc one step discs – if you haven’t heard The Nightfly or Kind of Blue you have a treat waiting. I really don’t need gimmicks like clear vinyl. And I certainly don’t want to pay a 100 quid for a vinyl pressing that clicks and bangs all the way through and is packaged in a card sleeve guaranteed to add to that surface noise. I’m actually quite annoyed that the record company somehow sees the quality of the music reproduction as secondary to the packaging. Even that is odd. Four cardboard wrapped items dumped in a thin plastic bag as if it was an ASOS T-shirt order! Crackers and just a bit insulting to the customer and the artist’s legacy in my view.

Could I make a request to you marvellous people at SDE? Maybe I’m the only one in which case I’ll shut up, but I would really be interested in more views from you on how these re-releases you bring to our attention sound as well as what’ tracks are included or how they are packaged. Just a thought, but then you probably have enough to do! Thanks for all your hard work.

Have to agree with Phil .. my clear vinyl plays great with only a few patches of noise, blu rays play perfect. My poster arrived in a big triangular tube (god I wish it was a Toblerone) so dispite the wait all turnd out well. I would never have believed that for me what I thought was a bit of a dusty old relic from the seventies may well become my album of the year .. it sounds amazing… only the up coming White Album can nock it if its spot…only a few more weeks for that one…

Despite my concerns (based on initial reports on internet forums such as the Steve Hoffman forums) of playback issues for the clear vinyl 2-L.P. set and the Blu-ray discs in the 4-CD + 2-Bluray set, my sets played without problems. While I wouldn’t describe the clear vinyl 2-L.P. set as an audiophile pressing, all but 2 songs played perfectly, with only an occasional mild bit of surface noise on the remaining two songs. Certainly better than I was expecting.
As for the 4-CD + 2-Bluray set, I was lucky (considering the tight-fitting pockets which hold the discs), that the discs were in perfect condition. I immediately put the discs into Japanese plastic inner sleeves(available from CD Japan) before reinserting the discs into the pockets. Those pockets have temendous potential to damage the discs. Ironically, with the Japanese edition, the discs ARE in Japanese plastic inner sleeves.
Some consumers who initially encountered playback issues with the Blu-ray discs were later to remark, that though the CD & Bluray surfaces appeared clean, that after they cleaned the discs, that the discs then played better or perfectly. As a precaution, though my discs appeared clean and unblemished, I decided to clean them (with running water from a sink, and drying with a soft towel) before playing the discs for the first time. All of the discs played perfectly.
Interestingly, though I bought the 6-disc box from Amazon.co.uk, it was shipped to me direct from Universal Music in the UK. If there had been any rogue sets at the start, the ones that Universal is now supplying directly are certainly good. Incidentally, it was a graphics designer’s error that causes the “Outtakes” on Blu-Ray Disc One to be described as being available in both stereo and 5.1 surround. Those particular outtakes are available only in stereo.. All other selections on the two Blu-ray described as being available in surround sound really ARE available in surround sound.

I am now in possession of the blu ray discs from both the Pepper SDE and this edition of Imagine – first ones I have owned, silly question but what is the way to play these audio tracks ? I have an inexpensive 2.1 surround blu ray player connected to my tv, also still my older hifi system ie decent amp, cd player and speakers – is there a way to play the blu ray discs through the hi fi ?

Thank the Lord .. just got my dispatch notice from Udiscover for my fan bundle .. two weeks late …still .. just be glad to finally get hold of it . Hope the poster arrives rolled, always planned to frame it.
Thanks for the unboxing vid Paul , really glad I kept my order for the collectors edition of the book .. it will be quite some book I’m sure . See Amazon Germany are still taking orders for the sighed edition.. time will tell if they’ll fulfill.

Thank’s Paul, I ordered mine from Recordstore.co.uk which came with a free theatrical poster and before it was sent I asked them if it (the poster) would be sent folded or hopefully rolled, the reply was it would be sent rolled and packed well so not to worry.
When it arrived I was surprised it was all in a big bag, upon opening it the Imagine Super Deluxe was well packed in a box but the poster was in a card sleeve (flat) being knocked on the journey by the box, part of the poster was torn, scuff marks from the cardboard and also creases all over. On the card packaging it gave instructions how to fold it to make a tube to slot a poster in it, either they got fed up doing this or didn’t bother to read the instructions, so I contacted them and they said they would send out another poster (rolled at my request) straight away, which in my books is good service as they replied straight away but again the next poster arrived in the same packaging. This one had a mild crease but shouldn’t look too bad once framed but this has put me off ordering anything that comes with a poster from Recordstore.co.uk
Anyone else order the poster from them or from Abbey Road (I think Recordstore did delivery on their behalf) and how did your poster turn up?

Thanks Paul for your John Lennon video.I had the small excitement (for me) of being able to open mine as I watched your unboxing.I noticed they have used the same slotted disc holders as the Sgt. Pepper’s box, except in the Beatles box the discs have amazing individual sleeves. In the Lennon box they are sort of left hanging in the breeze.As you said they are functional.So this brings up the problem, it seems side by side the Imagine box could be more for such important music.There was a poster and postcard and other cool things only represented as images in the two excellent books.Say what you will but the McCartney Archives look great on the shelf when you reach for them, this 10″ box not so much.In the Sgt. Pepper’s Box I Was able to “slot” my pic disc inside.It would not be bad if the original audio were included for whatever reason.I hope they go all out for Walls and Bridges! Super Happy to have this Imagine box but perhaps a Lennon Imagine Vision box is in the future.

Thanks Paul for the video. A question for any of your US readers who purchased the the 6 disc set from Amazon UK….are there any region issues with the Blu-ray Discs playing on a US player? Are the Blu-ray’s region free and playable on a US Blu-ray player? Probably a dumb question I know and I apologize.

I’m still waiting for my 6-disc set to arrive from the UK. My question is this: How well did your discs play, and were they in good condition? The people who experienced playback issues with the Blu-Ray discs were mostly owners of Sony,Oppo & Samsung players (yet owners of Sony Playstation 3 & 4 players were not affected). I’m concerned because all three of my Blu-ray players are Oppo machines.
Some people indicated, that though the Blu-ray discs appeared clean and unblemished, that after they cleaned the discs they played O.K., or at least better. I’m interested to hear what you experienced.

The Imagine box set is very good its just a pity it has taken 38 years to appear after Johns death.
Obviously a commercial decision to release Imagine first, but it would have been better to start with the 1970 Plastic Ono Band album. Lets hope all the Lennon albums are released as box sets chronology in the near future. What about box sets of George Harrison Albums he’s been gone 17 years & so far just one CD of unreleased tracks.
On a personal note these box sets now come with just blue ray discs. Ive now to upgrade to a Ultra blue ray player which I will probably have difficulty connecting to my old surround sound amplifier! More expense & hassle!!!

Got mine today. The remix of the album is absolutely brilliant. Almost sounds like it was recorded today. State of the art. I hope the Bowie remix of “Never Let Me Down” is just as good (once I buy that box).

I am only marginally interested in Lennon and Ono, but have read most posts about this project. I saw the box in a store and almost picked it up because it looks great and it was decently priced.
I decided against it though because in the end it’s just the same tracks over and over. I’m also happy that I didn’t because I foolishly thought it included the movies.
Question: does the book in the 6-disc box have anything to do with Yoko’s book, is it like a highlights, or is it just related because it deals with Lennon and herself?

My thoughts exactly. Lennon’s work isn’t as great as it’s made out to be and just having the same stuff repeatedly listed doesn’t justify the price. Demo’s and out takes are just that. Include one or two for reference, but not loads. It’s like Syd Barrett. Because he produced so little as a solo artist they’ve squeezed every conceivable studio session and out take possible out of the recordings. There’s only so many times you can listen to Late Night or Golden Hair on one album! Just spend time producing the best sounding copy of the original with sleeve and that should be enough!

I don’t get it. I understand that the book inside the box set focusing on the songs. And I understand that the “Imagine John Yoko” standalone book is much bigger with much more content. But what I don’t know is if the content of the “box set book” is includet in the standalone Imagine book or not?

After buying the box set I have now received the 300 pages IMAGINE book and I can say that very little of the photographic content is replicated between the two books!
Some of the stills are similar but not identical while many pictures in the little book are not in the big one and vice versa of course. But while the latter had to be expected, the former comparison is quite surprising.
It really looks as though great care was put into editing two books that are different enough to justify buying both.
However, I would say that roughly 75% of the commentary contained in the box set book is included in the other.
Has anyone purchased the deluxe 500 pages book and care to tell us what extra stuff is presented there?

Hi Paul,
What a nice video. What absolute quality that Yoko Ono has given the devoted fans of Lennon and the respect that the legacy deserves. I am so happy and want to commend Yoko Ono for all she has done. I mean all that…. offering decent pricing. Love your way of presenting the products. I am still waiting for the box set. I have decided to just offer myself the Ultimate set and as for all the dozens of other exquisite reissues… will leave to another year’s budget or to Santa…. which ever comes before. As for the gorgeous book. The one from the box is suffice enough but what an absolute exquisite and the crazy details. Please offer my thanks and praise to the people involved wih the products, Yoko, the producers… the record company. This will be the box set that will and should set the standard for all other reissues. Hoping that the people at the Grammys honor it as well in February by offering it the Reissue of the Year award.
God bless to Lennon, Imagine, his amazing legacy and your wonderful website
Sincerely.
Tino

Thank for doing that video, Paul. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon with the SDE listening to the blu-ray and reading the book and I have to say it really sets the standard for how to do SDEs, both in terms of content and price. Particularly impressed by the 5.1 track ‘maps’ in the book, showing how they have arranged the different voices and instrument tracks around the surround sound-stage. Neat!

Thanks Paul, although I’m surprised to hear that you’ve already scratched the surface of the album – you really should be more careful!!

Looking forward to getting my copy of both the book and the SDE of the album. I’d like to see Apple produce really extensive and high quality books covering each Beatles album, perhaps starting in 2023 to mark the 60th anniversaries, and sell them for around £25-£30 each. They probably won’t though, but if I could ever find an e-mail address for them, I’d write and suggest it.